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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. land — a country
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. land — to come down
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. land — ground
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. last — finally
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rule — a law
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. last — final
  20. snap — to click
  21. toast — bread
  22. drill — army training
  23. last — to go on
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com